Play With Care
by ColtsAndQuiills
Summary: The day outside is dark and oppressive until music brings two unlikely loners together. Samandriel x Reader ficlet.


_Please, don't be sad now, I really believe,_  
><em>you were the greatest thing that ever happened to me.<em>

Today, the world was cold.

Samandriel looked up to the foreboding sky, tasted the signs of an oncoming storm in the heavy stillness of the air. A couple passed by, huddled close against the chill, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of loss for kinder days.

Before long, the first drops began to fall, scattering the remaining few who had been walking the grey streets. Even the murmur of passing traffic died out, leaving a lonely silence in its wake.

Nearby, you were sitting in the silvery light of a music room's window, watching as the rain scrawled melodies across your reflection. You imagined reading notes and chords in each tear the clouds cast against the glass, the growing breeze marring the droplets and setting the bar lines.

Music was a bitter-sweet violation, moving your fingers, your heart, without your concession.

Samandriel had been about to leave — unsure of what he was seeking, only knowing that the growing divide between his sisters and brothers needed to be sewn before what was left of their purpose bled away — when your song reached him.

Like chilled hands seeking the touch of another, he was drawn to you.

This room was comfortable even on damp days, but it was the music that warmed the angel. He appeared a few paces behind you, observing as your fingers moved along the keys, stroking unspoken words out of each ivory bar.

Lost in the song, you didn't notice him until he took a step closer and the floor creaked underfoot. The unexpected sound made you jump in your seat, the piano protesting with a jarring combination of notes.

"You scared the hell out of me!"

A flush filled his cheeks despite the cold water that dripped from his hair. His eyes moved from you to the piano and back again, caught between a compliment and an apology.

"I heard you playing," he began. Unsure of how to finish, he trailed off, although he held your stare.

A student with the bad luck of a work-shift ending just in time for the rain, you quickly accessed, taking in his soaked, striped uniform. It wouldn't be the first time your practice was interrupted by passerby escaping one of nature's autumn tantrums.

You inwardly sighed, sad to have lost the small escape the song had provided, but couldn't fault him for the interruption.

"Here, go ahead. There's plenty of room," you said, moving over on the bench.

He didn't move, save for the way his brows drew together, as if confused.

"The rain's not supposed to let up for a while," you added, amused by what you took for shyness. "Might as well sit if you're going to wait it out in here."

For a second it seemed he would decline, perhaps more willing to face the storm than an extended session of classical music, but then he took a seat next to you, moving with a grace that was surprising. Icy water ran from him in small rivulets, soaking through the thigh of your jeans, but he was so tense that you didn't dare pay it any attention.

"So… " Your fingers absently wandered across the same keys from before. "Did you like that song I was playing before?"

"You're beautiful," he replied, quick and bright.

A cluttered exclamation burst out of the piano as your fingers stumbled over the keys.

"…Sorry?" you asked, sure you had heard him wrong.

Thankfully, he wasn't watching your face, which you were positive was burning. Instead, it was your hands that held his attention.

"You can create such wonderful music. It reflects a beautiful soul."

There was silence as you waited for him to follow the remark with a jeer or a laugh — perhaps even a cheap flirtation, but your suspicions were repaid with a smile as sincere and radiant as a child's.

"Please." He gently took your hand in his and returned it to where it had been poised before. "Play it again?"

A warmth lingered after his touch left you, making the melody spin, cacophonous, in your mind before you could reign it in. However, once you gathered yourself enough to begin once more, the soft pleasure on his face grew, lending confidence to your movements.

Usually, music could lead you far away from your surroundings, but not now. His enamored stare never roamed, keeping you tethered to the room. In his eyes, there was a terrible longing.

"Would you like to try?" you asked, your fingers still in motion.

Samandriel hesitated, fearing he had already gone too far with this. He shouldn't have allowed himself to be seen, let alone permitted himself to sit at your side. And yet, against all his arguments within, the music thrummed.

"I think… yes, very much." He smiled with such gratitude that you couldn't stop your own lips from returning the expression.

"Here, to start, just these three…"

You demonstrated a few times before gesturing for him to take over. Singing was something you typically reserved for your company alone, but as his larger hands began to delicately pick at the keys, you quickly found yourself humming the tune to guide him.

"Good! Keep going, just like that," you coaxed, placing your hands further down the scale.

To your astonishment, Samandriel was beginning to lay claim to the keys he played, note by note introducing himself further to the melody. Your fingers moved, separate but apart, a special dance reserved only for those sharing in creation. Outside, the wind howled in challenge as your music joined his, rising up to beat back against the rain that drummed against the window.

"You catch on quick. Have you played before?"

"A little, on different instruments. But never music like this."

"Really?" On some days, music was your kindest company, the notes of a song crying when you could not. "What about when you're feeling down?"

"Is that why you were playing this? Are you unhappy?" he softly inquired.

You considered the question carefully. His fingertips brushed the sides of your own as you struck a key in tandem. "No." You smiled at your music. "Not now."

The world was cold.

But today, together, you overcame the storm.


End file.
